


You're doing amazing, Yeol

by sugarcandae



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, but he loves chanyeol so much, he has a thing for chanyeols tattoos, jongdae is such a troll, kind of fluffy?, nervous chanyeol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 03:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11958855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarcandae/pseuds/sugarcandae
Summary: It's time for Chanyeol to meet Jongdae's parents. While Chanyeol spends the evening trying not to cause accidental chaos, Jongdae desperately tries to tell his parents that despite the tattoos and piercings his boyfriend is anything but dangerous.





	You're doing amazing, Yeol

Jongdae had spent the last few weeks dropping carefully placed hints to his long term boyfriend Chanyeol about how they could progress their relationship further. He argued that meeting each other's parents seemed like the next logical step to take, however with Chanyeol’s parents out of town on vacation that left them only one option… to bite the bullet and introduce Chanyeol to Jongdae’s parents. It was no secret between the two that Jongdae had always found his parents a little overbearing, some might even say smothering, which is exactly why it had been such a relief for him when he had escaped to college. Enter Chanyeol, a figure (a tall one at that) who had appeared in Jongdae’s life during his second year and had stuck with him right through to graduation. It wasn’t until after they’d both graduated that they took their relationship to the next level - neither had wanted to risk being stuck rooming together if things turned messy. Months later and here they were, still roommates but in a different sense of the word and in an apartment they could call their own. It wasn’t anything special, neither Chanyeol’s job at the local music store or Jongdae’s hours put in at the nearby coffee shop brought in a lot of income, but it was enough to allow them a small place to call home. 

 Chanyeol can remember how much Jongdae used to whine about his parents during their college years, and that’s precisely why he found himself so nervous at the prospect of meeting them. There was no denying Chanyeol looked intimidating from the outside. Standing at a solid 185cm, with colourful inkings spanning the width of his defined chest to spread up his neck, along with silver rings looped through his left eyebrow and a shock of bright red hair, he was the perfect example of ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. Despite all this, Jongdae often likened him to an oversized puppy. Throughout their first weeks of dating, Jongdae had a lot of fun playing a game he’d called ‘find the new tattoo’, which had really just been an excuse for him to get Chanyeol to lose his shirt, seeing as he’d accompanied him for the majority of the inking sessions anyway. 

 

* * *

 

The day of the dinner that Jongdae had finally convinced Chanyeol to agree to, affectionately nicknamed ‘doomsday’ by the latter, found the two of them still lazing in bed come the afternoon. Jongdae, head rested on Chanyeol’s bare chest, was preoccupied with absentmindedly tracing the lines of Chanyeol’s tattoo with his fingertips.

  “You know what you should get next?” Jongdae asked, referring to the inkings. 

 “What?” mumbled Chanyeol as he glanced down curiously. 

 “My name…” Jongdae hesitated with a smirk. “on your ass.”

 Chanyeol’s eyes widened with a scoff, although he wasn’t able to hide the smile of amusement that touched his lips. 

 “Right, I could totally use that to help me win your parents over! Pleasure to meet you Mr and Mrs Kim, believe me when I say I’m serious about your son. I even have his name on my ass!” He exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. Jongdae snorted and glanced up to retaliate before he paused as something catching the light caught his eye. He raised a hand to brush a thumb along Chanyeol’s right eyebrow gently. 

 “Have you always had this one pierced too?” Jongdae asked, almost certain the silver ring hadn’t been there previously. Either that or he was losing his mind.

 Colour seemed to taint the tops of Chanyeol’s ears as he shook his head a little, to which Jongdae responded to the only way Jongdae could: with a whine. He buried his face into Chanyeol’s neck with a groan. 

 “Don’t get me wrong, it looks hot… but you couldn’t have waited until after today? It’s going to be hard enough getting my mom to look past one eyebrow piercing, let alone two.” He grumbled. 

 “Dae… you know how nervous I am about all of this. And you know how much sitting down for an inking calms me when I’m stressed, but they had no cancellation slots available so the piercing was the next best thing.” Chanyeol begun to ramble. “I’m sorry.” He sighed as fingers ran through Jongdae’s hair. Jongdae honestly had no problem with Chanyeol expressing himself, in fact he loved it, but he was simply nervous about how smoothly he would be able to get their dinner that night to go with how conservative his family were. Jongdae lifted his head to meet Chanyeol’s concerned gaze and sighed. 

 “Shut up and kiss me. We still have hours until we need to leave… Plenty of time to relieve you of that ‘stress’.” he said with a kittenish grin full of unspoken intentions, before the sheets were pulled back over the two of them for the remainder of the afternoon.

 

* * *

 

 With the aim of getting the inevitable over and done with, they found themselves sat in Chanyeol’s car outside Jongdae’s parents’ house that evening. Despite his whining, his parents, especially his mother, meant a lot to Jongdae and he therefore hoped they would like Chanyeol. He didn’t need their approval, no way, but a small part of him craved it. It was Chanyeol’s incessant tapping against the wheel that pulled Jongdae from his thoughts. 

 “Would you stop that? They’re going to love you.” He offered with a reassuring smile, although partially an attempt to convince himself of his words too. He wasn’t overly concerned about his dad, he figured him and Chanyeol would easily be able to bond over music or something. His mother, however, was a different story. In her eyes Jongdae was still her baby with the gap-toothed smile (he’d kill them if those photos made an appearance at some point in the evening). 

Chanyeol released a deep sigh as his hands fell to his lap before meeting Jongdae’s gaze, a small frown causing a slight crease between his dark brows. 

 “Can’t we just go back home? I’ll even cook the ‘Yeollie Special’ for you!” He bent his middle and index fingers in quotation marks with a playful grin. Jongdae snorted. The ‘Yeollie Special’ was in fact just instant ramen with a helping of cookie dough ice cream from the freezer for afters. 

 “No, we can’t. Come on, it’ll be worse if we’re late.” Jongdae nudged his arm before he climbed out the car and walked round to head up the small path to his childhood home with Chanyeol following reluctantly. Jongdae was almost certain he saw him trip over his own feet along the way and had to hold in a chuckle. It was strange sometimes coming home, he supposed he didn’t visit as much as he perhaps should. In fact, it had been a while since the last time he’d stood there on the front step. As he extended a hand up to ring the bell, he noticed Chanyeol shift nervously beside him. He reached for Chanyeol’s large hand with his smaller one and delivered a gentle squeeze of reassurance to the somewhat clammy palm before pressing the doorbell. 

 “It’ll be fine,” He mumbled and leant up to gently nose Chanyeol’s jaw. “And if it’s not, then screw them.” He said with a grin, which caused Chanyeol’s shoulders to relax slightly as he emitted a small laugh. As Jongdae returned to stand flat on his feet, the door suddenly swung open and flooded both their figures, tall and short, with the warm light from inside the house.

 There stood Jongdae’s mother, a short woman, everything about her petite, with an apron tied around her middle. The resemblance between her and Jongdae was undeniable, becoming clear to Chanyeol exactly where Jongdae had inherited his smile from, right up to the curls of the corner of their lips. Chanyeol noticed the way the slightly frazzled look immediately left her in way of warm eyes and a soft smile as she saw her son, something he himself could relate to. Jongdae had the ability to do nothing but exist and yet be a calming presence. 

 “There’s my boy!” She exclaimed, wiping her palms against her apron before pulling Jongdae into a tight hug, one he returned with a small mumble of “Hey Ma…”. 

At this point, Chanyeol had to resist the urge to shove nervous hands into his pockets, not wanting to appear rude or lacking of manners, as he was left standing there awaiting some form of introduction. Jongdae seemed to sense his boyfriend’s discomfort almost immediately and managed to loosen his mother’s grip on him enough to take a small step back so that he was once again by Chanyeol’s side, glancing to him before back to his mother as he displayed a wide smile. 

 “Mom, this is Chanyeol who I was telling you about on the phone.”

 Chanyeol offered the most approachable smile he could muster up as he bowed his head slightly in a motion of respect. 

 “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Mrs. Kim.” He said before he met her gaze once again, feeling his ears heat a little under her scrutiny. Neither him nor Jongdae missed the way her eyes scanned over the tattoos that were peeking out the top of his button up shirt or the way her eyes lingered on the metal in his face. The only acknowledgement Chanyeol got for his words was a curt nod and a tight smile before she was ushering them both inside the house. 

 “Your father is in the living room” She looked to Jongdae, “I just need to check on the dinner.” She said before disappearing further into the house, presumably to the kitchen. 

 “Well…” Chanyeol sighed, breaking the silence as they stood in the hallway. 

 “That went well.” Jongdae said with a few nods of his head, although Chanyeol disagreed. 

 “Well?” His brows lifted. “She barely acknowledged me and when she did I thought her eyes were going to bulge out of their sockets when she noticed the piercings too!” He rushed out in hushed undertones. 

 “Relax,” Jongdae chuckled, “For her, that was practically a warm reception considering… everything.” He said while gently prodding at Chanyeol’s chest before reaching to take his hand again and drag him towards the living room. 

 “Come on,” Jongdae said, a reluctant Chanyeol pulled along behind him. “I think you’ll have more luck with my dad.” He glanced back with a small grin. Chanyeol muttered something under his breath about the likelihood of that actually being true and not just Jongdae trying to keep him calm. Whatever the motives behind the words were, they were all but forgotten as Chanyeol comes to an abrupt stop further down the hallway, causing Jongdae to stumble back slightly as their linked hands prevent him from walking any further. Oh no, Jongdae thinks, as he realised exactly why Chanyeol had stopped. Damnit. He’d hoped he was going to be able to get his inquisitive boyfriend passed his mother’s infamous photo wall without him noticing. Apparently he couldn’t be that lucky. 

 “Come on…” Jongdae repeated with a small tug at his hand, but Chanyeol simply shushed him as his lips slowly lifted into a smile. 

 “I never knew you wore glasses.” Chanyeol mumbled as his gaze scanned over some of the high school photos, ones Jongdae wished he could forget existed. 

 “That’s because I don’t anymore.” He huffed. 

 “Look at how cute you were!” Chanyeol pointed out one photo enthusiastically, and Jongdae recognised it as one from his first day of school. His mom had fussed over him, smoothing his hair and eventually giving up as one unruly patch refused to remain flat, as his dad took photos to document every moment of the morning. For Jongdae, being the youngest child had meant his parents focus was on him 24/7, with his mother determined not to miss a single milestone to add to her wall. The photos ranged right from Jongdae’s first day of school to ones of him stood with his mother and father in his graduation robes, smiling so wide his eyes had become crescents. Chanyeol remained still, taking in every memory the wall had to offer, before turning his head to glance down at Jongdae. 

 “I mean… You still are cute.” He grinned. 

 Jongdae leant his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder with a small whine. 

 “I’m not cute” He mumbled. 

 “Sure you’re not.” Chanyeol chuckled and turned his head to steal a quick, innocent kiss from adorably pouty lips before stepping back with a sigh. 

 “Okay… lead the way.” He said with a nod of his head, sounding much more confident than he actually felt. He figured that maybe if he at least acted confident it would perhaps dull his nerves slightly and trick him into believing it to be true.

 With one last reassuring smile, Jongdae began to lead Chanyeol through to the living room where they found his father. A quick glance around the room gave Chanyeol the same impression he’d gathered of the rest of the house so far, the fireplace and photo-lined walls giving a homely feel. A clearing of a throat had Chanyeol’s gaze facing forward once again as an older man with greying hair and thick rimmed glasses stood from the armchair in the corner of the room to greet them. Jongdae’s father gave him a small pat on the shoulder with a smile before he turned his attention to Chanyeol. It was hard to miss the way his eyes widened as he took in the shock of red that was Chanyeol’s hair, however he seemed to try to hide it just as quickly, extending a hand to Chanyeol, shaking his hand with a warm, firm grasp. 

 Chanyeol bowed his head slightly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir” He said, albeit a little nervously. To his surprise, the older man smiled slightly.

 “No need to be nervous. Jongdae’s told us all about you.” He said, his words causing Jongdae’s cheeks to heat slightly in embarrassment. 

 “All good things, I hope.” Chanyeol joked, finally starting to relax once he realised other than the occasional gaze lingering on a piercing here or an inking there, Jongdae’s father was at least attempting conversation with him, which was more than could be said for his mother’s reception. 

Jongdae’s father laughed and glanced at Jongdae before turning back to Chanyeol.

 “Would you like a drink?” He asked, moving towards the drinks cabinet. 

 Chanyeol was about to decline but before he could Jongdae spoke up.

 “Have a drink, Yeol and relax. I can drive us home.” He said with a smile. Jongdae’s father glanced at the two before turning his back to pour two small drinks of amber liquid into crystal tumblers (Chanyeol’s best guess was whiskey of some kind). Chanyeol turned his head to meet Jongdae’s gaze with a small shrug of his shoulders and a smile, a silent _I guess this is going okay_. Jongdae lifted a brow as if to say _I told you so_ , and opened his mouth to speak before being cut off by the sound of his mother’s voice drifting down the hallway to him from the kitchen. 

 “Jongdae! Can you come here for a minute please.”

 “Excuse me…” Jongdae said with a smile to the two men, not missing the wide eyes Chanyeol shot him as if to say _don’t you dare leave me alone with him_. He moved to leave the room, breathing out a sigh of relief as he heard the tail end of his father beginning to question Chanyeol on his job at the music store. He figured they were safe with some musical conversation for a moment while he was gone. He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck in an attempt to alleviate some stress. He didn’t want Chanyeol to know how much this evening was weighing heavy on him too. Having one of them on the verge of a nervous breakdown was already enough.

 

 Jongdae followed the familiar path to the kitchen, a sudden wave of nostalgia hitting him as the smell of his mother’s cooking reached him. Was that…-

 “I’ve made your favourite.” the sound of his mother’s voice interrupted his thoughts, as if she somehow could read his mind. 

 “It smells just as good as it used to.” He said with his usual grin, which slowly wilted as she gave no further acknowledgement of his presence. 

 “Set the table please. The jug for water and glasses are still in the cupboard to your left.” She said briskly. 

 Jongdae, knowing better than to argue, simply proceeded to do as she’d asked, stepping round her in the small kitchen to fill the jug with water before walking through to place it in the dining room. When he returned for the glasses, he noted his mother was still paying him no attention, her gaze instead never leaving the food in front of her as if fearing it would disappear should she look away. 

He eventually came back to stand in the kitchen, opening his mouth to speak only to close it again, before he gathered the courage to speak up. 

 “Is…is something wrong?” He questioned lightly. 

 His mother finally turned her back on the food in favour of meeting her son’s gaze, offering an evidently strained smile. 

 “Nothing, it’s just-“

 “This is about Chanyeol, isn’t it?” Jongdae cut her off. He wasn't sure if the exasperated sigh she let out was due to the fact he’d interrupted or the topic he’d brought up. “We can’t just ignore that you obviously seem to have a problem with him for some unfounded reason.” 

 That seemed to finally trigger a response, which to Jongdae was preferable over the unnerving silence and faked smiles. 

 “Unfounded? He has tattoos all over his neck, Jongdae!” She exclaimed. “Not to mention those rings on his eyebrows.”

 Now it was Jongdae’s turn to grow exasperated. He’d been expecting this, really, he had. That didn’t make it any easier though. 

 “He’s actually a goof, ma… I swear!” Jongdae met her gaze imploringly. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve had to drag him away from bringing a stray dog home on our way back. I actually had to make him promise not to visit the shelter alone, if he had his way the apartment would be filled with at least ten by now! Looking after one giant puppy is enough work as it is.” Jongdae mumbled the last part mostly to himself with a smile. Realising he’d got off topic, he sighed. 

 “My point is… Please give him a chance. He’s kind, funny, loyal and hardworking. He’s… He’s my _happiness_ , ma. I love him.” Jongdae trailed off, lowering his gaze as a hand rubbed the back of his neck once again. A nervous habit he was sure he’d picked up from Chanyeol. 

 When he finally raised his gaze to meet his mother’s again, bracing himself for the worst after his outburst, the last thing he expected was to be pulled into a tight hug. He exhaled deeply and rested his chin on her shoulder as his own arms enclosed her small frame. 

 “My baby… We just want you to be happy. If _he_ ,” She cleared her throat before trying again. “If _Chanyeol_ is a part of that, then so be it.” 

Jongdae pulled back just enough to stare at her in surprise. He’d been expecting to have to do a lot more protesting. Seeing his expression, she was quick to add. 

 “This doesn’t mean you can run off and cover yourself in ink and metal too, okay?” She fixed him with a firm stare. “But, I will try to look past his… appearance, for you.” It wasn’t hard to see how smitten the young pair were with each other, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen her son this happy. Probably not since the day he’d moved to college, or perhaps the time they gave in and let him adopt the stray kitten he’d found. She smiled fondly at the memory of a tiny jongdae promising to love the little animal forever. 

 Jongdae stepped back from the embrace and had to try to hold in a chuckle, wondering what his mother would do if she ever found out that one drunk night out with much goading from Chanyeol had resulted in him sitting in a leather chair as a stranger smelling strongly of tobacco forced a bar of metal through his left nipple. The thought alone had him tugging at the hem of his shirt to ensure the material wasn’t catching, as if worried she’d somehow just know. 

 “Now, go get your father and Chanyeol. Dinner’s ready.” 

 Jongdae nodded, moving to leave the kitchen before he paused and stepped back to press a kiss to his mother’s cheek. 

 “Thanks, ma.” He smiled, before walking through the doorway and down the hall. It was then that Jongdae realised he wouldn’t have the opportunity to relay his conversation with his mother to Chanyeol before the meal. He bit his lip to hold back a snort as he suddenly remembered the information he’d ever so kindly supplied his mother with when she’d called earlier in the week asking if there were any foods Chanyeol was allergic to. This would be interesting. Chanyeol was adorable when he was nervous, so at least it would make the evening entertainingly bearable. He’d explain everything later and make it up to him tonight once they were home, Jongdae vowed to himself. 

 

When Jongdae returned to the living room, he found Chanyeol and his father deep in discussion, drinks long forgotten, as from what he could tell they debated the necessity of vinyl records in the modern day and age. Jongdae smiled to himself. Despite the shaky start the two men seemed to be getting along relatively well. He cleared his throat to alert them to his presence, heart jumping at the way he saw Chanyeol’s eyes light up and smile grow at the sight of him. 

 “Mom says dinner’s ready.” He nodded his head towards the kitchen. 

 “Well, I for one know better than to keep her waiting.” Jongdae’s father jested before walking out of the room. Jongdae stepped forward to trail his hands down Chanyeol’s arms before reaching his hands and lacing their fingers together. 

 “You’re doing amazing, Yeol.” He said with a gentle squeeze of his hands. He always loved the feeling of Chanyeol’s large, warm hands encasing his own. (Chanyeol had a tendency to become fascinated by just _how_ small Jongdae’s hands were in comparison to his own). 

“Now, come on… I’m hungry.” Jongdae said and pulled Chanyeol along to the dining room before he could even respond. 

 

* * *

 

 Once they were all seated around the table and food had been served, Chanyeol made a point of thanking Jongdae’s mother for preparing such a delicious looking meal for them. 

 “Jongdae told me how much you loved spicy food, so I made his favourite- maeundae galbijjim."  She smiled. 

 Chanyeol nearly choked on air as he turned his head to widen his eyes across the table at Jongdae, only to see Jongdae sniggering into his glass of water. Oh, how he was going to make him pay for this. Chanyeol definitely did _not_ love spicy food, in fact he despised it and had a very low tolerance for foods with any kind of heat to them, but Jongdae’s mother had just _smiled_ at him for christ’s sake and he’d be damned if he was going to ruin that now. 

 “That was so thoughtful of you. I can’t wait to taste your famous cooking, Jongdae never stops whining about how much he misses it.” Chanyeol quipped. 

 “I do _not_ whine.” Jongdae whined, causing everyone at the table to fix him with a pointed look, as if to say _really?_ He surrendered a little beneath the collective stares, quickly continuing “Okay let’s eat, we don’t want mom’s hard work going cold. I can tell Chanyeol can’t wait to get stuck in!” He said with a grin, hiding a groan with a small cough as it earned him a sharp kick to the shin beneath the table. 

 

They started to eat, small talk being made as Jongdae’s parents began to question him on when he was finally going to get a proper job as a coffee shop was no place for a graduate; Jongdae arguing back between mouthfuls of food that it was easier said than done to find a decent job in the current economy and that being able to pay his share of the bills for his home with Chanyeol was enough for him to be happy right now. 

The entire time, Chanyeol found himself watching Jongdae with something akin to envy. How could he sit there, chewing happily and eating this completely unaffected, while Chanyeol felt like he was _dying_. Your tongue wasn’t supposed to be numb, right? He could feel himself starting to sweat, ears no doubt growing redder by the minute as it took every ounce of him to appear unaffected and as if he was actually _enjoying_ this torture. 

 “You okay, Chanyeol? You’ve barely said a word.” Jongdae probed with a concerned expression, but Chanyeol could see the mirth hidden in those warm brown eyes.

 “Let the boy be, Jongdae. It’s not like you leave room in the conversation for anyone to add anything anyway.” His father joked before he turned his attention to Chanyeol, ignoring Jongdae’s undignified spluttering. “Jongdae said you were in a band during your college years. What do you play?” He asked. Okay, music talk. Chanyeol could do this. He opened his mouth to answer, but ended up coughing a little (you try talking around a numbed tongue).

 “Excuse me” He managed to mumble before leaning over to reach for the jug of water to top up his glass, except managing to knock over said glass in the process and water began to seep into the table cloth. 

 “Oh shi- I’m sorry…” He blurted out and automatically moved to stand with the intention of retrieving tissues, but damn his oversized legs, as by doing so he knocked his knee on the underside of the table and his utensils fell from his dish, staining the once pristine white tablecloth with remnants of stew.

 “Not to worry!” Jongdae’s mother exclaimed quickly, almost as if wanting to stop Chanyeol from touching anything else. They say these things occur in threes. Jongdae could tell from his own childhood experiences that she was about one more accident away from her calm and collected mask cracking. If there was one thing that got to her more than anything, it was mess in her home, accidental or not. Jongdae remembered learning that the hard way when at about seven years old he’d accidentally tracked mud all the way through the house to his room and was consequently banned from playing ball with his neighbour for an entire week. 

 Chanyeol slowly lowered to his seat again at her insistence just to leave it, saying she’d simply clean it up once they were gone. 

“He’d trip over his own feet if he wasn’t careful, he’s all limbs. Luckily he has me to keep him grounded.” Jongdae smiled smugly, as if Chanyeol having him by his side was the best thing to happen since sliced bread. 

 “You’re grateful for these limbs, don’t even try to deny it!” Chanyeol retorted, only after a beat realising how suggestive that could've sounded and being quick to add “How else would you reach the top shelf for your favourite cereal at the supermarket?”

Jongdae simply stuck his tongue out in retaliation, earning him a reminder for his manners at the table. 

 

The rest of the dinner went smoothly (well, as smoothly as Chanyeol choking down his meal as Jongdae earned glares across the table for his evident amusement could be) and the conversation began to wind to a close and glasses became empty. Chanyeol learnt that while Jongdae’s mother seemed to be warming up to him, he actually got on extremely well with his father thanks to their shared musical interests. Jongdae’s father even promised to stop by Chanyeol’s work sometime to check out the store. 

 Once everyone was done, Jongdae and Chanyeol helped to clear away the dishes from the table before Jongdae finally took pity and threw a casual glance at his watch with a sigh. 

 “We should probably head off now before it gets too late. Yeol has the opening shift tomorrow.” He explained. 

 “Oh, right, of course. Excuse me one moment.” She left them in the hallway to disappear into the kitchen. Jongdae could have sworn she almost sounded disappointed that they were leaving. Then again, she had always loved hosting. 

She returned moments later with a tupperware box filled with some kind of homemade pie from the looks of it. 

 “I couldn’t have the two of you leaving without any dessert now, could I?” She said as she passed the box to Chanyeol. 

 “Oh! Thank you.” He said sincerely as Jongdae looked on with a smile. Perhaps things really would be okay. 

 “Next time you come you’ll have to see the photo albums, Chanyeol. Some of the best photos never even made it to the wall.” Jongdae groaned at his mothers words and tugged at Chanyeol’s sleeve. 

 “On _that note_ , we’re leaving.” He stepped around Chanyeol to say goodbye to his father before being pulled into a hug by his mother. Chanyeol nodded to them both with a smile. 

 “It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for the wonderful meal!” He said as sincerely as he could manage with Jongdae snickering behind him. 

 “Don’t be a stranger. Both of you. We haven’t seen Jongdae this happy in years.” She said, making Chanyeol’s smile grow while Jongdae exhaled a whine. 

 “Ma, why do you always have to embarrass me?” He huffed, though his smile suggested he didn’t even care because the truth was, she was right. 

 “It’s my job to. Now go on, I’m sure we’ll see the both of you again soon. And with no tattoos I’d hope, Jongdae.” She fixed her son with a firm stare before lifting a brow towards Chanyeol as if to say _I’ll be blaming you if there is._

 “Don’t worry Mrs Kim, I can promise you that any ink ending up on his skin would be his own doing.” He said lightly.

 “Okay… I’ll trust you this time.” She patted his shoulder, having to reach up to do so, before moving to open the door. 

 “Drive safely, Jongdae.” His father added. 

 “Always do.” Jongdae replied with a mock salute to him before walking out the door, Chanyeol following. 

 

It was only once they were halfway down the path and heard the door click shut behind them that Chanyeol pinched Jongdae’s side _hard,_ causing him to jump with a yelp. 

 “I love spicy food, huh? I nearly _died_ in there, Jongdae!” he exclaimed as they reached the car. 

 “Quit being so dramatic, Yeol. It was hilarious.” Jongdae snorted before mumbling, “I never did like that tablecloth.” He grinned, clambering to climb into the car before Chanyeol could hit him. 

 “Honestly though,” Jongdae began once Chanyeol had settled into the passenger seat. “She might have a hard time with _this_ ” he trailed a finger along Chanyeol’s jawline and down his neck, “but they support us. God, I think mom’s just relieved I didn’t end up alone with fifty cats.” Chanyeol chuckled and reached for the hand that had just lowered from his neck. 

 “You’re a pain in the ass, Dae… But, I love you.”

 Jongdae softened visibly at his words. 

 “Hey, you know, I could be a literal pain in your ass too if you actually got my name inked there!” he smiled broadly, lips curled up at the corners. 

 “You’re unbelievable.” Chanyeol said, shaking his head as he leant across the console to meet Jongdae halfway with a soft kiss. 

 “I know…” Jongdae mumbled against his lips with a smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: jongdae desperately tries to tell his parents that his boyfriend is anything but dangerous. they have a dinner with chanyeol freaking out and being all nervous about it.
> 
> Hope I did the prompt justice for you, I had fun writing this!
> 
> (maeundae galbijjim = braised short-rib stew)


End file.
